California, here they come!
Eagles
One of These Nights
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab – UD1S 2-027, Limited Edition, (2022, Sept.), #2163 of 10 000.
Originally released on Asylum Records – AS 53014 or 7E-1039 (1975, June)
Ratings:
Global Appreciation: 9.5
- Music: B
- Recording: 9.5
- Remastering + Lacquer Cutting: 10
- Pressing: 10
- Packaging: Deluxe
Category: soft rock, country rock, folk rock, soulful disco.
Format: Vinyl (2x180 gram LPs at 45 rpm).
Evaluated by Claude Lemaire
As the 1960s came to a close, with the dawn of the new decade just on the horizon, many rock bands abandoned any hints of psychedelics in their music, favoring instead a return to roots, folk, and country. Such was the case with swamp rockers Creedence Clearwater Revival with the release of their second album Bayou Country in January 1969 featuring "Proud Mary"–a far cry from "Susie Q" six months earlier.
As with San Francisco acid acts like the Grateful Dead with Workingman's Dead and American Beauty, both from 1970, where CSNY's influence seems quite obvious. Earlier still was Bob Dylan with Blonde on Blonde in June 1966 combining folk, blues, and country with rock, the latter even more so on Nashville Skyline in April 1969.
As previously mentioned in part-one, Dylan initially influenced the Byrds in the folk rock hybrid in their beginnings, whereas this later output of his resurfaced in their later material such as on Sweetheart of the Rodeo in August 1968 with the arrival of Gram Parsons. Not very well known, Parsons was briefly part of The International Submarine Band which spawned only one album, Safe at Home, a few months prior to joining the Byrds.
The Rolling Stones were also not immune starting with Beggars Banquet in December 1968 which clearly carried country, blues, and roots rock, as well as on their 1969 single "Honky Tonk Women". Heck, even The Beatles dabbled into country with "Get Back" in April 1969.
Take It Easy...
From these folk-rock country roots, the Eagles were hatched. Hailing from Los Angeles, the Eagles formed in late 1971 when Randy Meisner and ex-Flying Burrito Brothers' Bernie Leadon joined Glen Frey and Don Henley who were then part of Linda Ronstadt's touring band–the four are credited on her third (self-titled) LP among a large ensemble of musicians.
The Eagles' self-titled debut came out in June 1972 on David Geffen's newly-found Asylum label. It contained the singles "Witchy Woman", "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and one of their all time biggest hits "Take It Easy".
It would be the first of six LPs with Don Felder joining the flock on their third album, On the Border, and Joe Walsh–formerly of James Gang–replacing Leadon with the release of Hotel California in 1976 as the band favored a harder edge to their sound than on previous albums.
Tracks like "Tequila Sunrise", "Desperado", "Best of My Love", "Hotel California", New Kid in Town", "Life in the Fast Lane", and "Heartache Tonight" would subsequently follow via yearly album and single releases. All would become part of the staples of the FM and AM airwaves of the 1970s and beyond; rivaled perhaps only by the likes of Fleetwood Mac in the smooth sophisticated soft rock sphere, both in terms of sales and staying power.
Take It to the Limit...
"One of These Nights" was the first Eagles' song I recollect hearing on CKGM AM radio back in the day. Because my DNA is more structured along the lines of a disco fan than a country fan, it explains why I was first attracted to this single rather than their other more typical hits, and the reason it remains my favorite of the band after all these years–supposedly it is also Glen Frey's favorite Eagles track.
Bill Szymczyk produced and engineered the album assisted by engineers Allan Blazek, Michael Braunstein, Ed Marshal, Michael Verdick, and Don Wood in 1974 and 1975. They split their recording time between two studios: Criteria in Miami–where they had a custom-made 24-track MCI console–and the renowned Record Plant in Los Angeles which had an API. Szymczyk is well known as a perfectionist, preferring to capture the Eagles singing all together in the studio around one mic rather than overdubbing each musician-singer on individual tracks. By doing several takes, selecting the best ones or picking precised parts out of them, and editing directly on the 2-inch master, he was able to approach perfection. For the drums, his recipe is usually using a combination of eight or nine mics–Shure 57, Neumann 67 and 87, AKG 414, etc.–around the kit sent to four tracks. The team did an incredible recording and mixing job as good as on the follow up, Hotel California. Every instrument and voice is mixed at just the right level with the requisite refinement, nuance, dynamics, and energy you expect from the real pros. If all rock records were up to this level of sound quality we audiophiles would be in pure sonic glee.
Mofi's deluxe box contained the usual items and presentation we are now accustomed to. Engineer Krieg Wunderlich remastered and cut the four set of lacquers at 45 rpm from the 1/4 inch / 15 IPS analog master converted to DSD 256 in accordance with their 'One Step' method. In the dead wax of my copy is inscribed KW@MoFi' plus A5; B8; C8; and D8 respectively, indicating which cutting 'cycle' were used to make the converts for this run. All four sides were well centered, visually glossy, and black, though when held up to the light you can still see through it. Pressings were done at RTI on the slighly translucent 180g "High-Definition SuperVinyl" formula by Neotech. They played perfectly from start to finish.
I did not have the original US pressing to compare with. From the opening title track to the final ninth, "I Wish You Peace", the sound is absolutely gorgeous. Fat, warm yet solid, sufficiently detailed in the top end but not overdone, wide soundstage; in a nutshell, very 24-track analog tape-sounding, and one of the best balanced 'One Step's to my ears, reminding me most of their Alan Parsons Project Eye in the Sky remaster–which was a regular double-45 rpm release, but now with superior low end control as a bonus. Picky as I am, I can't find any area where I would have wished for a different sonic setting...Goldilocks would approve I'm sure.
I've been searching for an angel in white...
If you wanna find out what turns on your lights, you better watch your back, 'cause coming right behind you, I swear its gonna find you...one (step) of these nights!
A final note,
I believe both of these MoFi releases are worthy of your attention and acquiring, but force to choose only one of the two, on a purely sound basis, I'd go with the Eagles.
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Personnel:
Glen Frey – vocals, acoustic and electric rhythm guitars, piano, electric piano, harmonium, lead guitar.
Don Henley – vocals, drums, percussion, tablas.
Bernie Leadon – vocals, guitars, banjo, madolin, peal steel.
Randy Meisner – vocals, bass guitar.
Don Felder – vocals, guitars, slide guitar.
Additional Personnel:
David Bromberg – fiddles.
The Royal Martian Orchestra – strings.
Albhy Galuten – synthesizer.
Jim Ed Norman – piano, orchestrations, conductor, string arrangements.
Sid Sharp – concert master.
The Eagles – string arrangements.
Additional credits:
Produced and engineered by Bill Szymczyk.
Recorded in 1974 and 1975 at Criteria studios in Miami and the Record Plant in Los Angeles.
Engineered (assisted) by Allan Blazek, Michael Braunstein, Ed Marshal, Michael Verdick, and Don Wood.
Remastered and lacquer cut by Krieg Wunderlich at Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab in Sebastopol, CA.
Plated and Pressed by RTI, CA, USA.
Art direction and design by Gary Burden.
Photography (cover) by Tom Kelley.
Photography by Don Hunstein.
Reference List (Singles, albums, and labels):
Bayou Country [Analogue Productions AAPP 8387, Fantasy 8387]
Workingman's Dead [MoFi MFSL 2-428]
American Beauty [MoFi MFSL 2-429]
Blonde on Blonde [MoFi, Columbia MFSL 3-45009]
Nashville Skyline [MoFi, Columbia MFSL 2-424]
Sweetheart of the Rodeo [Columbia CS 9670]
Safe at Home [LHI-S-12001]
Beggars Banquet [Decca SKL 4955]
"Get Back" [Apple Records PXS 1, PCS 7096]
Eagles [Asylum Records SD-5054 or MFSL UD1S 2-024]
On the Border [Asylum Records 7E-1004 or MFSL UD1S 2-026]
Hotel California [DCC Compact Classics LPZ-2043 or Rhyno Records R1 1084]
Eye in the Sky [MoFi MFSL 2-500]
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